


Restrained

by just_imagine_1



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Abusive boyfriend, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Ashton Irwin Angst, Ashton Irwin Is Jealous, Ashton Irwin Is Protective, Ashton Irwin Is Worried, Best Friend Luke Hemmings, Blood and Injury, Calum Hood Is Protective, Calum Hood Is Worried, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Injured Ashton Irwin, Injured Luke Hemmings, Insecurities, Luke Hemmings Is Protective, Luke Hemmings Is Worried, Major Character Injury, Mental Abuse, Mental Breakdown, Michael Clifford Is Protective, Michael Clifford Is Worried, Minor Injuries, Other, Panic Attacks, Physical Abuse, Romantic Fluff, Scars, Serious Injuries, alcohol consumption, injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_imagine_1/pseuds/just_imagine_1
Summary: Lily had grown used to fear being her daily companion—she had grown accustomed to her first and last thoughts of the day being plagued with anxiety. There was hardly any time when she truly felt safe anymore, and every minute she felt like she was walking on thin ice. Lily was drowning, but she didn’t dare show it. She longed for someone to release her from her prison, and Ashton Irwin might just hold the key to Lily’s freedom.
Relationships: Ashton Irwin/Original Character(s), Ashton Irwin/Original Female Character(s), Luke Hemmings/Original Character(s), Luke Hemmings/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 8





	1. Movie Night

“That’s it for today, class. And remember, the test is on Tuesday so rest up and study this weekend. Now get out of here.”

Before Mr. Perkins, the English professor, had finished his sentence, students were already out of their seats and practically out the door. Lily however, remained in her seat until the professor finished his announcement, then shoved her notebook into her backpack and walked over to her friend, Jessie Finley, who had been impatiently hanging in the doorway.

“Girl, you can be so slow sometimes.” Jessie nudged Lily’s shoulder playfully as the two exited the room.

“Hey, it’s rude to just get up and go while the professor is trying to tell us something. And unlike you, I’m polite and like to wait.” Lily bumped her friend's shoulder in return which earned her an eye roll.

“Well good for you, but I’m just glad that the week is finally over. It’s party time now.”

“We have three tests next week and a six page assignment on Elizabeth Cady Stanton due on Wednesday. Don’t you think you should use the weekend to, I don’t know, study?” Lily gave her friend a pointed look, but Jessie brushed aside the comment.

“Oh, I will study–after a good party. My brain is fried, I need to relax and have a little fun before I go back to being a goody two shoes like you.”

Lily laughed, “Please, you couldn’t compare to a goody two shoes on your best day.”

Jessie placed a hand over her heart in mock offense. 

“Ouch, Lils. That stung, that stung deep.” 

“Uh huh, sure.” Lily flashed her friend a playful smile as the two left the building and began to retreat back to their dormitory. Topics like potential party locations and other plans for the weekend flowed into their conversation while they walked, and due to their dormitory was the closest to classes, their travel back was fairly short. Lily climbed the stairs to the second floor with Jessie following close behind, but as they approached their door, Jessie paused to pull out her phone.

“Come on, Jess, can’t you check your phone once we’re inside?”

The teenager held up a hand for her to wait as she sent a short text to someone unknown.

“Who is so important that you couldn’t wait five seconds to text them?” Gesturing to her phone with her keys, Lily faced the door again and unlocked it.

“No one, let’s just get inside, I’m starving and I want that leftover pizza from last night.” After a moment of staring at her friend, Lily scoffed and pushed the door open, but froze at the sight before her. 

“Luke!” The keys slipped from her hands as Lily sprinted over to him and leapt into his arms. Luke embraced Lily before lifting her off the ground, she could feel him smiling into her shoulder. 

“Oh my god, when did you get here? I thought you wouldn’t be coming home from tour until tomorrow?” Luke placed Lily back on her feet, both of them grinning uncontrollably.

“Just a few minutes ago, and we were supposed to get back tomorrow, but I wanted to surprise you. Jessie helped too.” Luke nodded at Jessie while Lily placed an arm around her friend’s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze.

“You’re the best, Jess!”

She returned the gesture with a light smirk, “That has a nice ring to it, I like it.”

Lily chuckled before turning back to Luke.

“I’m so glad you’re back. How long will you be here?”

The guitarist’s grin turned melancholy, “For a month, maybe two, then we’ll be back on the road.”

“Then we’ll just have to make the most of it.” This prompted some cheerfulness to return in his smile.

“So, where’s the guys?” Jessie asked.

“They’re back at the hotel.” Luke placed his hands in his pockets.

“Well, seeing as we’ve got the gang back together and some time off, I say we have our traditional movie night.” Jessie came up behind the two and draped her arms around their shoulders. Lily and Luke shared a look before nodding.

“That sounds perfect.” 

****

After giving the other band members a call to update them on plans, Luke, Lily, and Jessie piled into her car to go pick them up. Somehow all six of them managed to fit in Jessie’s five-seat car, leaving Lily to sit on Luke’s lap with Ashton and Michael in the back, and Jessie and Calum up front. They made a small stop at a gas station to pick up their usual assortment of junk food and then began to make their way to the drive-in theater in the next town over.

“So–I didn’t really have time to ask before–how was the tour?” asked Lily, causing the boys to break out into smiles. While she genuinely did want to know about the tour, she also needed to get her mind off of the mild anxiety that was bubbling beneath her skin.

“It was awesome!” Ashton’s eyes lit up and Lily could tell he was recalling memories from their time away. “Europe was beautiful, you should’ve seen it. I miss it already.”

“I knew we had fans from different parts of the world, but it was still crazy actually seeing them again.” Michael chipped in, reminding Lily of a toddler receiving a present.

“Sounds like you boys had a blast, maybe next time I’ll have a break from school to come see you all.” The boys’ joy brought a smile to her face.

“You know, one of these days we’re going to bust you out of school so you can come on tour with us. We miss you while we’re gone.” Luke rested his chin on Lily’s shoulder while she chuckled.

“Believe me, I’d much rather be traveling the world with you four dorks than being stuck in college, but unlike you, I can’t get a well paying job without more school.” A playful flick on the nose prompted Luke to ruffle his friend’s hair while Michael and Ashton mumbled about not being dorks.

After overhearing Lily’s comment, Jessie chimed into the conversation, “Yeah, not all of us are talented artists that get to pass go and collect our money.”

“It’s a good thing you two are in school and actually going to college.” Calum’s choice of words invoked an uproar between the two girls.

“You are such a hypocrite!” Lily gestured to the bassist while Jessie added that neither him nor the rest of the boys finished high school.

“Exactly!” exclaimed Michael, “So trust us when we say that you should definitely be in school.”

“We speak from experience.” Ashton broke down into giggles that eventually spread throughout the car.

The rest of the ride was filled with small talk—Lily, Luke and Ashton conversing more about Europe while Jessie ranted to Michael and Calum about college. Around twenty minutes later they arrived at the drive in, and the sun had yet to set, indicating that they still had plenty of time to set up. Jessie parked her car so the rear was facing the giant white screen. Calum and Michael grabbed the two folding chairs from the back and placed them in front of the car while Lily and Ashton took the back of the car and pushed the back door up, but still low enough so Jessie and Luke could see the screen from their spot on the top of her car. After everyone was settled, snacks were evenly distributed between the six of them and they prepared for the movies to start.

There were two back-to-back movies that night: the first being John Wick which surprisingly ended up being a group favorite, the second being the 2010 remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, which was as equally entertaining. Lily would never admit that the latter frightened her quite a bit, despite having practically squeezed the life out of poor Ashton’s hand numerous times throughout the film.

However, even with a thrilling night of movies, everyone was far more drowsy than they had expected, leading them to checking into a hotel for the night. It took barely any time for Lily to drift into a peaceful slumber, but the few moments before were spent relishing the fantastic night. It had been close to four month since she had last seen the band, and those last few hours made things appear like they were normal, like they hadn’t even left in the first place. While she originally had her own reasons for being anxious about her night out, Lily discovered that it had all been worth it.


	2. Sour Return

The golden rays of sun cascading past the curtains pulled Lily from her sweet slumber. She sighed, long and soft as she stretched out her sleepy muscles, stiff from holding the same position. She allowed a few seconds to pass before she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Lily slowly opened her eyes, still adjusting to the brightness of the morning, but startled when she laid eyes on a tall figure with dark brown hair, sat near the window of her hotel room, mistaking them for her boyfriend. Upon closer inspection, Lily discovered that the person was not her boyfriend, but rather Jessie. Her friend had her back to Lily, so she didn’t catch her brief moment of terror, and she made sure to fix her composure before climbing out of bed.

“Morning Jess,”

Jessie tore her gaze from the window to meet Lily’s with a grin. “Good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty.” Lily slapped her shoulder playfully and then took a set beside her.

“Oh please, I didn’t sleep that much.”

“I don’t know if you noticed—” Jessie gestured to the clock on the nightstand, “—but it’s ten in the morning.”

“So? We were up until one!” Lily let out a yawn, stretching her arms above her head while changing the subject. “We should get the boys so we can go down to breakfast, my stomach is complaining at the lack of food.”

“Of course it is, you’re always hungry.” Jessie got to her feet before changing into something more presentable and brushed out her hair with Lily doing the same. Once ready, the girls exited their room and walked down the hall to the boys’ room. Ashton answered and told them to head down to breakfast, saying that him and the guys would catch up soon. Lily and Jessie found a large table near the middle of the dinning area that would fit all six of them and then got their breakfast. Jessie chose a bowl of Cheerios with yogurt and Lily got a blueberry bagel with a side bowl of fruit. Not long after they began eating, the guys made their way down and joined the girls after retrieving their breakfast.

“How did you sleep last night?” Asked Luke before taking a bite of his cereal.

“I slept pretty well, how about you?”

“I wish I could say the same, Michael kept me up with his loud ass snoring.” Luke said the last part slightly louder just so the other boy would hear.

“Shut up, Luke. I’m not the one who hogs the entire bed.” Michael snapped back, his morning grogginess putting him in a grumpy mood.

“Hey, you could have shared a bed with Calum.” 

“He kicks in his sleep, and I didn’t want to end up on the floor like last time.”

Calum whipped his head up from his plate, “I do not kick, you just rolled off of the bed!”

The three broke out into an argument and Ashton rolled his eyes, joking about how he hated the band while Lily and Jessie shared a look before returning to their food. After breakfast, they all checked out and crammed back into Jessie’s car for the ride home. The guys talked about going to see their families when they get back and Jessie complained about having to go into work that day, having some colorful words to say about her boss. Lily mentioned how her boyfriend was returning from seeing his family for a few days.

“Oh yeah, that one guy is your boyfriend now. I remember you telling us about him on the phone during tour. What was his name again?” Luke snapped his fingers, his brows knitted together as he attempted to recall the name of your boyfriend.

“Wyatt.” Lily smiled gently.

“Right, Wyatt! How has everything between you two lately?” 

“Things are great, we’re very happy.” That was a lie.

Luke gave Lily his signature charming smile, “I’m glad you’re happy.”

Everyone fell into idle chat for the rest of the ride, Jessie stopping at the boys’ hotel to drop them off before returning to campus. Lily bid her friend goodbye then hopped on her bike and headed to Wyatt’s apartment complex, which was thankfully close to campus. It was close to lunchtime when Lily arrived at his apartment, so she fixed herself a sandwich and then made herself busy while she waited for her boyfriend to come home. It was around two hours before Wyatt returned, and during that time Lily cleaned his apartment and then studied for the rest. It was more than obvious when Wyatt got back; the slammed door made her jump as goosebumps formed up and down her body. He was clearly in a bad mood, and that never turned out good for Lily.

“Hi, honey, how was your trip?” Lily closed her textbook and got to her feet, a cautious smile playing on her face.

Wyatt glanced at her briefly before shrugging off his coat and heading to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Eh, seeing mom and Heather was nice. But God, Peter was a dick, like always.” Wyatt took a long swig of beer before dropping himself on the couch and switching the t.v. on to his usual sports channel. Lily had a feeling Wyatt would come home in a sour mood, seeing his brother usually always influenced a cold behavior.

“Is there anything I can get you?” Lily kept her voice soft and steady.

Her boyfriend grunted, “No.”

“Are you sure, bec—” Lily was violently cut off as Wyatt’s beer bottle came hurtling towards her head. She threw her arms over her head as the glass shattered on the wall behind her, and thankfully none of the glass shards hit her except for a small piece that sliced at her shoulder. 

“I SAID NO, GOD DAMNIT!” Wyatt’s booming voice flooded the apartment, causing Lily to flinch away from the man. “Now clean that up and get me another beer.” His voice lowered, yet the malice dripping from it was just as terrifying.

Lily nodded, her bottom lip quivering while she mumbled an apology, and carefully gathered the pieces of glass and threw them in the trash. After bringing her boyfriend another beer—which he practically snatched from her hands—she swept up the remaining smaller shards of glass and quickly seized her school materials, making refuge in Wyatt’s spare room—which could almost be labeled hers considering how often she had stayed the night there. Lily patched herself up in the bathroom, then pitched herself into her school work, pushing all thoughts of the recent events as far from her mind as possible. It was close to three hours later when she heard the door creak open and prompted her to snap her head up to meet Wyatt’s apologetic gaze. He paced over to the bed and sat next to Lily, holding an arm out. She scooted over and curled into his side before he wrapped both arms around her middle.

“I’m sorry for earlier. Seeing Peter put me in a bad mood, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Lily exhaled with a small smile, placing a kiss on her boyfriend’s shoulder. Having to see his brother put a dent in his behavior, which excused his outburst. Lily knew he never had any intentions of hurting her, not without a good reason. 

“Let me make it up to you. How about we go out to that restaurant you like, Cantina Lounge?” Wyatt pulled away to look at Lily while rubbing her back soothingly. She smiled and nodded, causing him to give a smile of his own. He gently kissed the area on her shoulder where the glass tore her skin before exiting the room, saying he’ll book a reservation for the next hour.

Lily only began to prepare for the night out after she collected herself, and once she did, she pulled out the red dress that Wyatt had bought for her last birthday, the one he enjoyed a little more than she did. After that she brushed out her hair and swiped on a new layer of makeup before grabbing her purse then met her boyfriend by the door, who had dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a white long sleeve shirt. Lily sent him a reassuring smile before they exited the apartment, Wyatt locking the door before they headed out to his car. It wasn’t long before they reached the restaurant. Wyatt parked in the parking ramp, then they took the elevator down to ground level. Once in the restaurant, Wyatt mentioned his reservation and one of the waiters escorted them to a booth near the back. While it didn’t include a window view, it was more calm than the tables in the front. The waiter placed two menus on the table and took their orders, Wyatt ordering a bottle of French Bordeaux to share, saying thanks to the waiter before they left.

“So, did I miss anything while I was away?” Wyatt placed his menu down after deciding what meal to order.

Lily forced a smile, “No, nothing major. Just school stuff.”

“Oh come on,” Wyatt chuckled, “You didn’t go anywhere last night?”

“No,” repeated Lily, her voice nearly cracking from her lie, “I just worked on my English paper.”

“Of course you did, you goody two shoes.” Her boyfriend took her hand, his gentle touch drowning out her nervous state as he bought her lie. Lily maintained her smile and calm demeanor, looking back down at her menu with her hand still grasped in Wyatt’s. But barely a moment after, she felt his hand tense on hers.

“Huh,” Wyatt mumbled, an inscrutable look crossing his face. Lily turned her head towards the restaurant’s entrance, only to be left wishing she hadn’t. Now stood in the waiting area was none other than Ashton Irwin, accompanied by his mother and two siblings. “Babe, you didn’t tell me Ashton was back.” Wyatt’s grip on Lily’s hand tightened threateningly.

“I—I wasn’t aware that he was home from touring.” Lily froze, concentrating on keeping her voice steady.

Wyatt’s eyes narrowed slightly, “You didn’t know?” Lily shook her head no as she clutched the fabric of her dress beneath the table.

“That sounds like being a bad friend to me.” 

Lily couldn’t help the corners of her lips from dropping, “Ashton is not a bad—” Her boyfriend’s hand tightened around hers even more, almost to the point of pain.

“Enough of Ashton, alright?” Her friend’s name fell bitterly from Wyatt’s lips, he practically spat it out. Just then their waiter came by to collect their orders and menus, rescuing Lily from her boyfriend’s unkind treatment. Thankfully, Ashton didn’t notice Lily or Wyatt, and the rest of the night crawled on painfully, Lily hardly looking at Wyatt for the rest of the time they were at the restaurant for fear her anxiety-ridden eyes would expose her. She ate quickly, and they soon after left, barely speaking a word to each other during the ride home and they retired from the day almost immediately. And soon it was dawn, a fresh start where it was almost as if the event from the night before had ceased to exist.


	3. Party Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a longer chapter, I just got carried away

Lily could easily say that the rest of the weekend wasn’t any better than Saturday night. Wyatt was still sour from seeing his brother, and the news that the band was home from touring didn’t help, he had never been fond of them. His waspish mood set Lily on edge for the rest of the day, and her irrational fear of Wyatt discovering that she had lied prodded at her constantly. Eventually Lily fled back to her dormitory, giving her boyfriend the excuse of needing to help Jessie study.

And that was how most of the following week went; Lily tried to avoid Wyatt as much as possible—at least until he calmed down, which he eventually did. Her boyfriend came to pick her up after classes on Thursday with guilt written all over his face. He apologized for his actions during the last few days and he took Lily back to his apartment, surprising her by saying that he’d cook dinner that night instead of her. She ended up spending the night with Wyatt, mostly cuddling while they watched movies. 

Lily woke up the next morning curled into Wyatt’s side. She smiled at his sleeping form as she leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips. Her boyfriend stirred, and a long moment passed before he finally opened his eyes as he stretched. He eventually met her gaze, a small smile of his own tugging on the corners of his mouth. 

“Hey,”

“Hi too you, too.” Lily gave him another kiss before sliding out of bed, still in her clothes from yesterday. “You take your time, I’ll go make breakfast.” She left the bedroom and ambled into the kitchen, grabbing the ingredients for omelets. A quick glance at the clock revealed that she had just enough time to get ready before classes. Lily prepared Wyatt’s food first, making his omelet just the way he liked it: with chopped up pieces of ham, diced up onions, and extra cheese. Wyatt sauntered into the kitchen just as she put his plate down on the table, then she continued to make her omelet. Lily ate quickly and brushed her teeth, making sure she looked at least a little presentable before hopping on her bike and racing to her classes.

****

“So, Lils, it’s been a week full of tests and essays, and I think we deserve a reward for our hard work.” Jessie linked arms with her friend as they walked out of the building.

“I think I know where this is going.” Lily regarded her friend hesitantly.

“Girl, you need to lighten up! One party isn’t going to kill you.” Jessie poked her side, making her jump a little.

“But I have homework to do, and I was going to go to Wyatt’s place tonight.”

“We can invite Wyatt, and I know for a fact he wouldn’t turn down a party offer.” Ambivalence was still written across Lily’s face, so Jessie kept pushing. “Come on, you owe me! I let you and your boyfriend use my car a few weeks ago while his was getting fixed.”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, you don’t really have a choice.” Jessie gestured ahead of them, and Lily turned to see Luke and Ashton pull up in a black convertible. Luke honked the horn while Ashton sent the two a grin, motioning for them to get in. They had ditched their usual band attire and were dressed in a more fashionable apparel; Luke was wearing a stylish blue shirt that was halfway unbuttoned while Ashton sported a sleek, black leather jacket with a white undershirt 

Lily glanced at her friend but couldn’t help the smirk that crawled up her lips, “You won’t take no for an answer, will you?”

Jessie answered with a mirrored smirk, “No, I won’t.” Lily rolled her eyes as she climbed into the car with Jessie.

“Did Jessie set you two up to this?” Lily asked as she fasten her seatbelt.

“Actually, no.” Luke spared her a glance before starting up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “A few weeks ago I got in touch with an old friend of mine from school, and he mentioned that he was throwing a party today, so I thought I’d invite you two and the guys as an end-of-the-week celebration. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d say no, which is why I was hoping Jess would convince you. But picking you up was Ash’s idea.”

Lily’s attention shifted to the curly haired boy, who flashed her a bright smile. 

“But before we head to the party, we need to take a quick stop at our dorm so we can change.” Jessie leaned her elbows on the back of Luke and Ashton’s seat, speaking more towards them than Lily.

“Really, Jess? I think that’s a little too much.” 

Rolling her eyes Jessie leaned back to face Lily. “Yes, really. I’m not going to let you walk into a party looking like you’re going to Sunday Mass.”

Luke chuckled and looked at her through the rear-view mirror, “No offense, but you kind of do, Lils.”

She sighed, ignoring the blond’s comment, “Fine. Just don’t pick something skimpy.” 

Mischief painted Jessie’s face as she wiggled her eyebrows, “But Wyatt might enjoy seeing you in something skimpy.” Lily slapped Jessie, prompting her to cackle.

“Leave Lily alone, guys. How would you feel if you were being dragged out of your comfort zone?” Lily smiled at Ashton. “Thank you, Ash! It’s nice to know who my real friends are.” She nudged his hand and he did the same while sending her a grin in return.

“You’ll thank me later, just you wait. You’ll be glad I got you out of our cramped dorm room for a night.”

“I doubt it, Jess. You know I have a rocky history with parties.”

It was Jessie’s turn to slap Lily. “Oh, quit being such a downer! Not all parties are the same, you’ve just had a streak of bad luck. Just watch—I bet this will be the best party you’ve ever been to.”

“Okay, whatever you say.” Lily only said what she did to appease the brunette–she didn’t rely on Jessie’s statement coming true in the slightest. While she couldn’t escape going to the party—once Jessie sent her mind to something it was nearly impossible to change it, and she always succeeded in getting what she desired—Lily was still waiting for her foul luck to strike once again. She could almost guarantee it. But Lily went along with it, secretly thankful for Jessie taking her mind off of school, and soon Luke was pulling into the parking lot outside of the girls’ dormitory building. The he turned the car off and he and Ashton followed Lily and Jessie up to their room. Jessie unlocked the door, then launched into their closet to find an outfit for Lily as the boys took a seat on their beds. After a minute or two of searching she handed her a burgundy crop top, white skinny jeans, and a pair of black flats. Lily smiled approvingly.

“And you didn’t trust me.” Jessie raised an eyebrow playfully while she picked out a loose, knee-high emerald dress, then pulled Lily into the bathroom. Once they finished dressing, Lily took out her hair band, the red waves of her hair falling lightly around her shoulders. She swiped on a layer of lip gloss that matched her top and reapplied mascara before stepping out of the bathroom to give Jessie some space. However, the sight she saw upon exiting the room was unexpected.

Luke was sprawled out on her bed with laughter as Ashton twirled around in one of her dresses. The dress was knee length on Lily, but it barely came to Ashton’s mid thigh. When he saw her, he flashed a frivolous grin and struck a dramatic pose. “Hey Lily, how do I look? Do you think I’d make a good model?”

“Stunning,” Lily giggled, “You’re definitely model material.” Ashton laughed along with her, but paused soon after and did a once-over of her, his boyish grin dissolving into a soft smile. “You look great.” The blush that curled up her cheeks was irrepressible, and Lily tore her gaze from his hazel eyes and muttered thanks, praying that the curly haired boy didn’t notice. 

Jessie then returned to the main room with her hair neatly gathered in a French braid and a new layer of makeup. She barked out a laugh when she laid eyes on Ashton. “Nice dress, Irwin. We’re almost matching.”

Luke hopped off Lily’s bed and slung an arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “Look at us, all dressed up so nice. I’ll bet twenty dollars that Mike and Cal are still in their ripped jeans and band merch.”

Jessie rolled her eyes and smirked a the tall blond, “Yeah, we get it, you’re fancy. Let’s get going before we miss the party.” Luke chuckled and walked out the door with his arm still draped over her, and Lily and Ashton joined them after she quickly aided him in getting out of the dress. Once they reached Luke’s car, they all climbed in and headed to his friend’s house. Lily gave Wyatt a call but it went straight to his voicemail, so she left him a message of her whereabouts and invited him to come, then set her phone down a gazed as scenery rushing by.

****

They heard the party before they saw it, although, Lily doubted there would be any complaints from neighbors because the housing developments in that neighborhood were exquisitely large and vastly spread. Luke pulled into a long gravel driveway, adding to the already lengthy line of cars. Ashton got out of the car and opened the door for Lily, smiling as she commented on his chivalry. This caused Jessie to chip in and tease Luke when he didn’t open the door for her, prompting the blond’s face to turn pink. The four continued on up to the house—no, mansion—the music growing loud enough to recognize the bass line in a Nirvana song. The front yard was littered with various strangers dancing and talking amongst themselves, and Lily could only assume the backyard mirrored the front.

“Wow! Your friend lives here?” Jessie was gazing in awe at the large house.

Luke chuckled, “No, this is Henry’s mum’s place. She lets him use it sometimes for parties.” 

“Damn you and your rich friends, I want a house like this.” An amused look crossed Lily’s face as she glanced at her friend. “You’d never know what to do with all that space.” Jessie waved off her comment, “I’d find a use for it!”

The blaring music and busy atmosphere bombarded Lily’s senses as she stepped through the threshold of the front door. If she thought the yard was cramped, then it was ten times as suffocating inside, and Lily nearly walked out right then and there but Jessie linked an arm around hers. All the body heat radiating through the house was uncomfortable and Lily found herself wishing she had stayed behind at her dorm, despite her loathing towards homework. A look at her friend, and Lily discovered that Jessie might have felt a little of her torment as well, her face contorted into a slight scowl. A small commotion broke out behind Lily, and she turned to see Luke embracing a boy who she could only assume was Henry. He was much shorter than Luke—he seemed to be about Lily’s height—and his fair brown hair was combed to the side which went along with his 1950-styled outfit. Their conversation was inaudible, but Lily recognized Henry’s gesture to follow him, so she trailed behind Luke as they made their way to the backyard. It came as a surprise to see that it was less populated than the front considering it was accommodated with a spacious pool. 

“It’s good to see you again, Hemmings! It’s been a while, mate. How was the tour?” Henry clapped the taller man on the back, sporting a joyous expression.

Luke beamed, “The tour was amazing, seeing the fans and exploring Europe was fantastic! How have things been back here?”

“My mum finally got rid of her dick of a boyfriend. Sorry for my language, but he was wicked and toxic. I’m glad he’s gone, and for good this time.” 

“I’m happy for her, mate!”

“Yeah, now she might actually see that she could have something good with our neighbor. I know he likes her, and she seems to like him, and now that her ex is out of our lives there's nothing holding her back.” Henry smiled, relief highlighting his features.

“Well, it sounds like you had a more eventful few months than we did.” Luke gestured between him and Ashton.

“What? You went to Europe, mate! How could that not be eventful?” Henry and   
Luke fell into conversation about the tour and Ashton joined soon after. Lily smiled at the boys before wandering to a less crowded area of the yard with Jessie following close behind. They plopped themselves in the grass as they surveyed the party from afar, talking about something other than school for a change, and for the first time in weeks—months possibly—the tension melted from Lily’s shoulders. She allowed herself to put her life on hold for a while to laugh and have a fun time. She danced along with Jessie to the music flowing from the house, eventually making her way over to the pool to join Ashton, copying him by removing her shoes and dangling her feet in the cool water. Ashton shifted his attention to Lily as she sat down next to him, smiling softly as she did so. 

“So, what brings you over here, Ash? You’re usually the life of the party.” Lily raised an eyebrow playfully.

Ashton leaned back as he smirked, “Even the best of us need to take a step away from the limelight and breathe every now and then.”

Lily nudged his shoulder, “I think the fame is getting to your head, Ash..” Ashton laughed with her, Lily’s gaze drifting up to the sky as their laughter died down, the clouds still bearing a rosy dusting from the sun that had set not long before. She couldn’t remember the last time she took a moment to watch the sun set.

A peaceful moment passed while she witnessed the last hint of color disappear from the sky, then fell back to reality. It took her a moment to notice that Ashton was staring at her, a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips. Lily felt heat rush to her face and she let out a nervous giggle. “What?”

He shook his head, as if coming out of a trance, “Nothing, it’s just—” Ashton looked away, but ended up finding Lily eyes once again, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you genuinely happy.” Her cheeks flushed red and she began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. “I’ve missed that pretty smile of yours.” 

Ashton’s gentle gaze didn’t falter once, and Lily had expected to feel intimidated by it, but instead she felt almost completely at ease, safe. It was a foreign feeling, but it was the most comfortable she had felt in a long time. She opened her mouth but before she could utter a word, the familiar tune of Don’t Stop echoed into the yard. Lily had to laugh at the timing, but she held her hand out to Ashton anyways. “It would be a disgrace to not dance to your own song.”

He laughed, his lips curling into a grin as he took her hand and pulled them both to their feet. “Then by all means, lead the way.”

Lily pulled him away from the pool, neither of them bothering with their shoes as they began to dance. They sang along, terribly out of tune, and soon the people around them were joining in. Luke and Henry found their way back with Michael and Calum in tow. Lily suspected they had probably arrived while she was with Jessie—who joined the group not long after. Ashton pretended to plaything drums during his favorite parts of the song, and Luke, Michael, and Calum did the same with their instruments. Once the song was over, Lily gave out a lighthearted laugh and leaned into Ashton as he draped an arm around her, also laughing. But a brief glance around her caused her blood to run cold.

Stood behind her was Wyatt, and he was furious.


	4. Drunken Misfortune

Wyatt stormed over to Ashton, and before Lily had a chance to react, he had ripped her from his grasp and punched the drummer with enough force to knock him to the ground. The dramatic scene attracted a crowd, even people inside drifted out to watch.

“Wyatt!” Lily placed herself between Ashton and her boyfriend, appalled by his actions.

“Whoa, man, what the hell!” Calum stepped up to him, Michael backing him up while Luke and Jessie crouched down to help Ashton, who sported a nasty split lip. Lily held a hand up to tell them to back off, and they did, but their vexed expressions remained.

Wyatt glowered down at Ashton menacingly, slurring his words slightly, “Don’t touch her.” Lily placed her hands on his chest to cease any further acts of aggression.

“Wyatt, you’re drunk. I’ll go get you some water and we can talk about this, okay?” Her boyfriend glared at Ashton for a moment longer before grabbing her wrist and dragged her away from her friends, his iron grip digging painfully into her skin. Lily was barely able to send Ashton an apologetic look, but surprisingly, he didn’t appear to be nearly as angry as expected. He mainly looked concerned as Wyatt yanked her back inside. He lead her to around Henry’s house until he found an empty bathroom and shoved Lily inside, closing the door almost completely behind him.

“What the fuck was that?” Wyatt pointed in the direction of the backyard and Lily could already feel her body start to tremble. 

“Nothing!”

“It sure as hell didn’t look like nothing!” Lily shrank back at his words but maintained eye contact with her boyfriend.

“I swear, we weren’t—” Wyatt cut her off with a bitter expression. “No, I bet you were just waiting for some alone time with him, so you could be a slut while I wasn’t around.” He stepped towards Lily threateningly, causing her to step back in terror.

“No! Wyatt, I would never do that!” His venomous glare petrified her, and she knew that it wouldn’t end well for her.

“Cut the bullshit! You two were always close, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had already slept around with him. In fact, I bet that you already did while I was away!”

“That’s not—”

“JUST SHUT UP!” Wyatt snapped and before Lily could defend herself, his fist collided with her face. Tears rimmed her eyes as she clutched the sink for support, gasping shallowly.

“Hey!” A familiar voice echoed from behind her, and Lily turned to find Ashton in the doorway. Alarm was written on his face, along with anger, which was just as present. “Get away from her.”

Wyatt’s bark of laughter was cold and mocking, and he sized him up as he approached him. He was shorter than Ashton, although he made up for what he lacked in muscle. But even then, the odds of winning a fight were in Ashton’s favor. “You should learn to mind your damn business, mate.” Wyatt bitterly spat the word from his mouth.

Lily’s voice quivered, barely above a whisper, “Wyatt, please—” Her boyfriend threw his harsh gaze upon her, his voice booming, “Was I talking to you?” That shut her up immediately, much to Wyatt’s satisfaction.

Ashton sought her eyes and his face softened a little, his tone towards her coming out far more gentle. “Lily, come here, please.” 

She glanced at her boyfriend in terror, still hanging on the sink. He was far beyond angry, and going with Ashton would only worsen the situation. But sticking around with Wyatt presented much greater consequences. Lily broke eye contact with him and crept towards Ashton. This did not make Wyatt happy.

“Why you little bitch—” Her boyfriend reached out to stop her, but Ashton was quicker. He gathered Lily in his arms and swept her out of Wyatt’s reached, then placed her behind him and took on a protective stance. Wyatt narrowed his eyes at him. 

“If you think you can steal my girlfriend—” He approached Ashton threateningly and Lily hid farther behind him while clutching his arm. But before her boyfriend could start something, he was shoved back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Lily glanced up at Luke, his steely gaze locked on Wyatt. Her boyfriend returned the cold look bitterly, but he stayed where he was. Lily knew he wouldn’t try to pick a fight with Luke, because while he did have a muscular advantage, Luke towered over him. 

“I’m not stealing your girlfriend, you’re just a terrible boyfriend.” Had Wyatt not been outnumbered, Lily was certain he would have thrown a few punches. But instead he sent her one last furious look, one that prompted Ashton to nudge her farther behind him, and then stormed off, hopefully to leave.

The second Wyatt was gone, Ashton and Luke turned to face Lily, worry etched across their features as Ashton gingerly inspected the fresh bruise blossoming on her face. “Are you alright? What else did he do to you?”

“I’m okay, this was the first time Wyatt’s gotten aggressive.” Sheepishly wrapping her arms around herself, Lily avoided the look her friends were giving her. She could tell they were torn between anger and worry, and them being upset made her feel guilty, so she desperately attempted to change the subject. “But that doesn’t matter right now. I’m just glad you both showed up when you did.” 

Ashton hesitantly dropped the topic, drawing Lily into his arms and she wrapped hers around his torso, exhaling a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Of course, Lily.” Luke placed a hand on her shoulder with a gentle smile playing on his lips. “You always have us.” Lily’s shoulders released a little of their tension, the warmth of Ashton’s embrace easing her racing mind. 

Calum, Michael, Jessie, and Henry then approached them with matching satisfied smirks. “We saw what happened and kicked that bastard out.”

“He won’t be hanging around here for the rest of the night.” Henry crossed his arms in triumph, Jessie nodding in agreement.

“Yeah,” Calum chipped in, “I gave him a good shiner as payback for what he did to you.” Lily gave a shy nod in thanks, but quickly stopped as a cringe took hold of her face. She pulled away from Ashton and examined his split lip, which didn’t look great.

“I’m sorry, Ash—” He shook his head and took her hands. “I’m fine, Lily, I’ve had worse. It’s you I should be worried about.” Ashton’s eyes still bore an underlying concern.

“I’ll get her some ice.” Henry piped up and the group followed him into the spacious kitchen which was thankfully less populated than the rest of the house. The looks received by Lily and Ashton revealed that the curious strangers had heard or witnessed what went down in the yard, but Lily tried her best to ignore them. She took a seat at the island and Henry soon came over with a small ice pack, which she thanked him for. They all sat in silence, mostly cautiously observing her, before Ashton spoke up.

“Maybe we should go home.” Lily knew that his words were directed more towards her than anyone else, but she nodded. 

“Look, I’m sorry, Lily. That was not how I wanted tonight to go.” Henry was looking at her with guilt, which made her shake her head with a frown.

“No, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t know this would happen.”

Henry sighed, shuffling besides Luke. “Well, I’m sorry anyways.” Lily muttered thanks as she slid onto her feet, handing the ice pack back but he turned down her gesture. “You keep it.” Luke bid his goodbye to him, Lily offering a curt wave as they walked back to the car with Ashton and Jessie, Michael mentioning he and Calum were going to stay a little longer. Silence settled on the group like heavy fog, the quiet neither awkward nor comfortable. They got into the car, this time with Ashton driving and Jessie in the front. Luke seated himself in the back with Lily, his open arms an invitation to curl into his side, which she gladly accepted. The rumble of the car and her comfortable position against Luke’s side brought some tranquility to her mind, her eyes fluttering closed and she was fast asleep not long after. Luke smiled to himself and brushed his fingers through his friend’s hair, grateful that she found at least a little peace in her hectic night. She had more than deserved it. 

Ashton arrived at the girls’ dormitory around a half hour later, and Luke prepared to carry Lily up to her room when Jessie intervened. “No, you should take Lily to yours. Wyatt might be back for her.”

“What about you? What if he comes around and he’s still not in a good mood?” Luke frowned, a ghost of a smirk crossing Jessie’s lips. “It’s cute that you’re worried, but do not fear. I’ll have my friend, Elliot, come by and stick around with me. Now go, before Lily wakes.”

They did as they were told, and soon Ashton was pulling up to his and Luke’s shared house. Luke carried Lily inside, careful to not rouse her, and settled her in their guest room. He made sure to remove her shoes before tucking her beneath the covers. She was swept away in blissful slumber and all previous traces of her distress had long since vanished. The sight of her brought a tender smile to Luke’s face. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead then joined Ashton, who was leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms. The drummer’s gaze was locked on Lily, his expression almost torturous. 

“I had no clue how toxic Wyatt was for her, none of us did. Who knows how long that was going on? How long he has been abusing her?” There was no need to make an effort to whisper, Ashton’s voice was already strangled with guilt.

Luke rested a hand on his shoulder, turning Ashton to face him. “Just be glad that she’s away from the sick bastard. Trust me, it kills me to know what he was doing to Lily, but you can’t change the past, mate. So don’t blame yourself for something that was out of your control.” 

Ashton’s eyes drifted back to Lily’s sleeping form, his expression hardening in determination, his eyes glinting protectively. “She’ll never suffer because that asshole again, not if I can help it.”


	5. New Perspective

The dull aching in her cheek roused Lily from her sleep. She groaned, only opening her eyes after several moments had passed. When she finally did get out of bed, she was presented with curious situation: She wasn’t in her room. Then, almost on cue, the memories of the night before came rushing back. She assumed Ashton and Luke had taken her back to their place, which explained why she was in their spare room.

Lily dragged herself to her feet, then sauntered downstairs where she found Luke and Ashton in the kitchen. The blond glanced up at Lily, the corners of his mouth quirking up. 

“Good morning.” This caught Ashton’s attention, and he copied Luke’s smile as he gestured to the stove with a spatula. “Hey Lils, I’m making pancakes, do you want some?”

Lily’s stomach growled in response to the scent of pancake batter. Both boys gave a light chuckle, Ashton returning to the task before him. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Lily nodded to Luke as she took a place beside him at the table, yawning deeply. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after a moment of silence, which she waved off. Soon Ashton was placing pancakes on both of their plates, grabbing some for himself before sitting down with them. They dug into their breakfast eagerly with no talking, just content the quiet, spare the brief sounds of their forks scraping their plates. 

“So, how are you feeling.” Ashton finally asked after finishing his pancakes, leaning back in his chair.

Lily sighed. “I’m alright, just tired mostly.”

“Do you want some ice for your cheek?” She shook her head no and stood with her plate in hand, placing it in the sink as the boys did the same. Lily then went to check her bruised cheek in the bathroom and cringed slightly at what she saw. While the ice pack from the night before helped bring down the swelling, the damaged patch of skin—which used to be red—had grown into a rich violet color that definitely couldn’t be hidden well with makeup. She could only hope it would look better on Monday when she arrived to class, already formulating an excuse. 

Lily forced herself to ignore the bruise for a while and padded back up the stairs to the spare room. She made the bed, far neater than necessary, and grabbed her phone before exiting the room, only making it halfway down the steps when her phone vibrated. Pausing, Lily looked down at her phone to find five messages and two missed calls, all from her boyfriend. She automatically tensed when her eyes scanned over his name on the screen, but continued skimming the messages. Her mouth creased farther into a frown the more she read, guilt blossoming within her.

I’m sorry about the party .....I was out of line…..too harsh, it was the alcohol…..please come home…..

“Lily, is everything alright?” Luke’s voice called from below, capturing her attention.

“Um, yeah—I’m fine, it’s just… Wyatt,” She finally sighed his name, ascending the rest of the way, “He texted me.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, “What did he say?” Lily hesitated, knowing fully well that what she would say next would cause a disagreement, but she continued anyway.

“He—He says he’s sorry, and that he wants me to come home. And… maybe I should…”

“What?” Ashton walked into the room with alarm dancing in his eyes. “No, not after last night. Not after all that he has done to you!”

“Look, it’s not—Wyatt loves me, and I love him! He didn’t mean to hit me, it was just the alcohol—”

“Lily, being drunk is never an excuse.” Luke’s voice was small and dismal, but she rambled on. 

“He never likes to do this, but he always has a good reason! I was being stupid and I made a mistake—I shouldn’t have been so close to you last night, Ash. I always make a mistake, and Wyatt’s just trying to help me. He’s the only one that loves me enough to tolerate my messes and screw ups, and he just wants to fix me. He is gracious enough to let me stay with him as he helps me, but I am ungrateful and can’t do anything right, so he has a right to be mad and to punish me—”

“Stop, Lily, please.” She was not aware of the tears rimming Ashton’s eyes until then, and the look on his face shattered her heart. Lily didn’t think anyone could ever look so anguished, and Luke’s expression was just as gut-wrenching. A few seconds ticked by before he found his voice again. 

“He’s been so cruel to you that you can’t even see that he’s abusing you. He’s manipulated you into thinking that he loves you—that he’s fixing you when there’s nothing that needs to be fixed! You used to be one of the most confident people I knew and now…” Ashton exhaled shakily and ran a hand through his curls, battling to remain strong, which lead Luke to step in for him.

“You never used to doubt your abilities, and you never used to put so much pressure on yourself. You never used to push yourself to the breaking point just because you doubted yourself.” The blond’s bottom lip was trembling, and Lily could tell he was fighting back tears as well. 

The sorrow swimming in her friend’s face was too much to handle, and she cast her gaze away to her feet as she curled into herself. Her emotions were a swirling storm and her mind was foggy, her thoughts jumbling until nothing seemed to be right anymore. The natural urge to defend her supposed lover was overruled by Luke and Ashton’s words, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept it, not completely. She had known him for being kind and loving, for having good intentions, yet there had always been a dark stain in their relationship that she was now beginning to notice. Tremors raced through her body and Lily found her arms slipping around herself due to her rapidly increasing confusion as tears flowed down her face excessively. 

Her distress prompted the boys to drag her to them, embracing her warmly as she released the heavy sobs that she had been holding in for God knows how long. They remained like that for a lengthy period of time, until Lily had calmed, and then more. In their arms, she finally felt safe, something she couldn’t remember having with Wyatt.

Eventually, once she had found her voice and steadied it, Lily mumbled into Ashton’s chest, “Can I stay here a little longer?”

“Of course, Lils. You’re always welcome here.” Ashton ran his fingers through her hair while Luke gave her hand a light squeeze, then guided her over to one of the couches. Ashton took a seat on at the end and Lily tucked herself into his side as Luke leaned into her other side. No words were exchanged as they cuddled together on the couch, simply relaxing into their touch and the silence. It didn’t take long for Lily to feel the soothing pull of sleep, she simply couldn’t refuse it’s sweet temptation, and the world soon fell away into tranquility.

Close to two hours floated by while the three slept soundly, Luke being the first to wake up. He gingerly removed himself from the tangle of limbs and rolled his shoulders to relieve them of their stiffness. His mellow yawn melted into an affectionate grin as he took in the sight of Lily and Ashton cuddled together. She had an arm lazily draped around his waist, with her hand in his, and her head tucked in the crook of his neck while his head rested on hers. The blond couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of them—they just looked too cute—and it was times like these that he often found himself wondering what it would be like if they were together.

Ashton and Lily always had something special between them, something different than what she had with Luke. She and him were the best of friends since they could walk and were practically inseparable until him and his band took off, but from the moment Lily met Ashton, they shared a strong connection, almost as if they were drawn to each other. Their relationship was defined by the little things; they had a way of reading each other to the point where they could almost always know the other’s state of mind, and they put extra attention and effort into small gestures. If one was stressed or upset, the other would make sure to aid them back to their best self. They would give each other little things—be it words, notes, or gifts—that seemed to have the ability to brighten the other’s day no matter what, and they always had the right words for when one was feeling down. Not to mention how soft their bond was. Luke didn’t believe there could ever be a cuter, more peaceful duo—he would even go as far to call it love. On certain days he would be convinced that there were at least some feelings present between his friends, their stolen glances and light touches served as a clear indicator. But as far as the guitarist could tell, they did share any romantic feelings, and if they did, they hadn’t come to realize it yet. 

Luke was so lost in thought that he barely registered Lily and Ashton stirring from their slumber. He quickly slid his phone into his back pocket and pretended to be interested in a magazine that he plucked from the coffee table.

“How long were we out?” Lily’s mumbling was barely audible, releasing a yawn while rubbing her eyes as Ashton rolled his neck to loosed the sleep-heavy muscles, yet both remained tangled together for a couple moments.

“About two hours.” Luke haphazardly through the magazine back onto the coffee table. “You both look cozy.”

They shared a look before—not too gracefully—sitting up and scooting away. He could see red creeping up both of their cheeks, causing him to chuckle lightly. But a melancholy tone then befell Lily’s features that erased Luke’s previous amusement. 

“Lily?” Luke prompted gently, Ashton’s focus immediately shifting to her.

A moment passed before Lily sighed, shaking her head. “I just—I’d like to go back to my dorm. I need some time to think.”

Ashton placed a hand on her knee, “We can take you back, if that’s what you want.” She nodded and he stood up with her. “Okay, let us get ready so we can go.”

The boys put their shoes on, Ashton grabbing his keys while she retrieved her shoes and keys from the spare bedroom, then they all climbed into the car. Lily barely uttered a word the whole ride back, her gaze fixated out the window. Luke shared a concerned look with Ashton through the rear view mirror, but neither of them voiced their thoughts; stating their opinions twice wouldn’t do her any good and she needed time to mull it over. 

They arrived at her dormitory around ten minutes later and Lily unbuckled her seatbelt, yet remained motionless after that.

“Lily?” Luke’s quiet voice prompted and she sighed, glancing briefly at both boys and mumbled a thank you while getting out of the car. She waved and they returned the gesture, Ashton waiting for her to enter the building before pulling out of the parking lot.

Lily took her time climbing the flights of stairs to her dorm room, but instead of finding Jessie in their room, she was met with a note on her bed explaining how she and Elliot had gone for coffee and would be back soon. She tossed the note aside, then changed into more comfortable clothes and collapsed into the chair at her desk, all her thoughts focused on Wyatt. Her mind felt cramped and she could sense a headache would soon follow. 

However, just sitting around didn’t satisfy. The longer Lily sat there the more restless she became, which lead to her grabbing her keys and phone, writing Jessie a note saying that she needed some fresh air before exiting the room. She made sure to lock the door behind her, descending the stairs then left the dormitory. Her destination was uncertain, but Lily didn’t have the energy to care and simply let her legs carry her off campus with a conflicted heart and cloudy mind.


End file.
